He also agrees with the Vancouver MP’s proposal for one-time co-operation
among Liberals, New Democrats and Greens in 2015 to defeat the Harper
Conservatives and implement electoral reform.

In an open letter to Canadians, Mr. Suzuki urged all progressive voters to
back Ms. Murray, noting that the Liberal Party has made it possible for anyone –
not just card-carrying, dues-paying members – to participate in the selection of
its next leader.

Ms. Murray’s dark-horse campaign appears to have been gaining momentum over
the past couple of weeks with support from online and grassroots advocacy groups
that favour electoral co-operation.

Ms. Murray, a former British Columbia environment minister, is the only one
of nine leadership contenders to support the co-operation plan. She proposes
holding runoff nominations so that progressive parties put up a single candidate
to face the Conservatives in vulnerable ridings.

The objective is to defeat Stephen Harper’s government and then implement
reform of Canada’s first-past-the-post electoral system, which allows MPs and
governments to be elected with less than 40 per cent of the vote.

“I urge everyone who is concerned about democracy, the
environment and social justice to take part in this [leadership] selection
process and thereby register support for specific policies and visions for this
country,” Mr. Suzuki said in is open letter.

“For me, Joyce Murray presents a platform that I am going to
support. If you agree, I hope you will give her your support too.”

In an interview, Mr. Suzuki said he doesn’t belong to any political party but
does, on occasion, endorse individuals.

“Increasingly, I want to support issues and policies that
reverberate for me,” he said.

“It’s got nothing to do with parties any more. I want substantive
issues on the table to be discussed and anybody that’s willing to do that,
great.”

He lauded Ms. Murray for her proposals to increase gender equity and her
“very courageous” support for putting a price on carbon – an issue that
torpedoed former Liberal leader Stephane Dion in the 2008 election.

“I think it’s really important now when you think that for seven
years or more the issue of climate change has just been nowhere and yet around
the world it’s been an increasingly important issue.”

Mr. Suzuki, 76, said he’s voted in every federal election since he turned 21,
but has never yet cast a ballot for a party that wound up forming
government.

He said he’s convinced Canada needs some form of proportional
representation so that a party’s share of the seats in the House of Commons more
accurately reflects their share of the popular vote.

“In a way, you could say my vote has been wasted because we have
a first-past-the-post system,” he said.